War of 1812 Bicentennial

[Concordia]

As we get closer to the actual inception date, I thought I'd throw in a comment or two from the time:

June 23, 1812
Fair … warm W pleasant day but cool for the Season. News has arrived from Washington that war is determined against G Britain & can be passed by Congress to that purpose.
…

June 30, 1812
Cloudy & fair alternately. NW warm Rain... A pleasant day but very cool for the season. This month has been remarkably cold & rainy beyond any that I believe has taken place in my day. Grasse very promising but the want of heat is visible on other vegetables. Our political affairs are very distressing. War is declared Witht preparation for defence or a visible offence. What the consequences will be time may bring forth. It is remarkable that no house flies have yet appeared.

Robert Treat Paine, Declaration of Independence signer​

By the standards of Paine's diary, which mostly featured one-line daily accounts of weather with brief allusions to social or political events, this was a notable oration. In the famous first week of July, 1776, he only unbent far enough to record

July 1: Fine showers. Gen’l Howe’s Army arrived at Sandy Hook
July 2: Rain'd hard Cool'd the air much
July 3: Cool day.
July 4: Cool. The Independance of the States Voted & declared.
​

 

[imschatz]

 

[jrd617]

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[JLibourel]

The War of 1812 song was quite amusing. My first cousin (several times removed, of course) Dolley Payne Madison was residing in the White House when the British captured Washington and oversaw the removal of the famous Stuart portrait of George Washington and the original drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution before evacuating. Her sister Lucy was married to George Washington's nephew.